Does some or all of this sound a bit like your workday?

…You sit in your car for a long commute to work

…You head right to your desk and computer and sit working through the morning

…You get lunch and sit to eat it, often at your desk

…You sit the afternoon out at your desk and computer working until that glorious quitting time

…You sit in the car for the commute back home

…You hit the gym (or at home) and sit on an exercise bike for your workout

…You use the gym strength equipment that lets you sit while you work those muscles

…You get home to sit down and eat and then watch TV

This is a lot of sitting.  Even if you work from home you probably find yourself at the desk and computer most of the day. 

It’s no secret these days that we should sit less and move more.  Otherwise all this sitting can lead to:

…Decreased cardio-respiratory fitness, muscle strength, endurance and flexibility

…Poor circulation and vascular health

…Muscle and joint stiffness and pain

…Higher osteoporosis risk

…Increased insulin resistance

…Weight gain

…Poor sleep quality

Something that may be a surprise though is that slouching over the desk restricts the diaphragm’s movement, which means your lungs aren’t getting as much air and weakening the respiratory muscles. 

And, have you noticed how after spending hours at the desk it just seems to sap your energy? 

Let’s Easily Fix This Desk-Bound So You Don’t Sit Out Your Life!

Honestly, it’s easy to put some energy and fitness back into your day.  Check out these ways to sit less and move more.

Break up Sitting Time…

What could be easier than getting up every once in a while to get the blood flowing!  Go fill up your water bottle, walk down the hall, walk out to another room in the house, step outside…any number of little things to get away from the desk if only for a minute or two.  A general guideline is every 30-40 minutes to take a short sitting break.

You will also be surprised to find you have more energy and focus when returning to the task you were working on.

By the way, this is a trick high performer’s regularly use to improve energy and focus (just in case you’d like to easily create a high-performance habit).

Take “Exercise Snack Breaks…”

Sounds delicious right?!  These can be several short bouts (1-5 minutes) of exercise activity requiring no change of clothing during the day.  Simple but effective exercises such as chair squats, walking a couple flights of stairs, or popping your head over the cubicle to check out what’s going on around the office while doing calf raises, will increase your energy and sneak in a little help if you are trying to lose weight.

We are in a technological age where many of our jobs require long hours at the computer.  But this doesn’t mean you are chained to the desk.  Set a timer if you have to and take those short breaks to stand, walk, climb a few stairs, repeat those chair squats a few times.  Anything to sit less and move more. You will have the energy and focus you need to perform your best during the day. 

After all, the human body was made to move.